The Morning After
by sylvanius
Summary: After a drunken night together Numair and Daine try to deal with the aftermath. Not as angsty as it sounds... Rated T for now, slight possibility of rating change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Hello! Here is my new little fic...shouldn't end up being too long..think along the lines of 'Love and Other Disasters'...anyway thanks to my wonderful wonderful beta **_**Micah Rapp Cullen**_**!!! 3**_**  
**_

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Numair was sitting up in bed, and although his head was killing him, and he could barely stand the sunlight streaming through his windows, the only sensation he was aware of was the overwhelming numbness that had rapidly spread throughout his body.

The previous night he had attended the midsummer's ball at the royal court. He remembered dancing some, and drinking a little more than some as the festivities took him over. Upon waking up with a severe hangover he had simply assumed that he had drank too much, stumbled back to his rooms and passed out. However when he  
proceeded to move around a little, he found out that that was not exactly how  
things had turned out. No, Numair Salmalin was currently sitting naked in bed; naked in bed next to his slumbering, and equally naked, former student.

Numair realized that he had been holding his breath, and exhaled hard. He hadn't dared  
move since seeing her. Sure he had woken up next to his fair share of women  
before, but it had _never_ been like this. Even if she was no longer his student,  
it was still Daine. He had known that he harbored feelings for the young girl  
for months now, or more, and he shuddered when he began to imagine what kind of  
drunken tricks he had used to get her into his bed.

Suddenly he felt the bed shift and heard a groan from her direction. He tried to stay outwardly calm as he internally panicked. Daring to glance over, the mage saw Daine raise her head slowly; obviously she had a hangover of her own, and look around in confusion.

After a couple seconds her eyes fell upon him and flew open so wide that they seemed to be in danger of falling out.

For a few seconds her gaze switched between him, her own unclothed state, and the clothing that littered the floor. There was a breath of silence before he heard her swallow loudly.

"Um, I- did we?" She stammered, turning a severe shade of red.

"I think so." He said, his voice cracking before he cleared his throat. "You, uh, don't remember anything?"

She shook her head, staring straight ahead. "Do you?"

He glanced at her quickly and as he did, he noticed two things. One was that there were some very pronounced love bites marking her collarbone and neck, ones he hoped a shirt would hide. The second was that she was trembling; the latter made desperately made him want to reach out and comfort her, but the circumstances told him it might not be the best time. He settled for clearing his throat once more.

"No, I don't…" He tapered off, desperately searching for something to say. Had he tricked her? Had she wanted to? Should he tell her how he felt? Before he could form one of his questions into words, she was sliding out of bed and hastily grabbing her clothes.

As she buttoned up her shirt she glanced at him quickly before speaking.

"I told Onua that I would help her out this morning so I should get going."

"Oh, right, of course." He said dumbly, switching between looking at her and the floor.

After dressing she paused and looked at him. Several silent moments passed and she opened her mouth to say something before closing it quickly and leaving.

Numair exhaled, realizing that he had been holding his breath again, and flopped back onto the bed in an entirely graceless manner. This was some mess that he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Numair stared blearily at the food in front of him, wondering if he even had the ability to keep it down. He was seriously reconsidering his decision to come and eat at the mess hall at all. Thankfully it was far quieter than usual with many people in a state not much better than his own. He winced as a tray landed on the table next to him and Alanna sat next to him, looking irritable.

"Have a good night?" He asked, picking up a roll slowly.

"Well better than yours from the look of it." She paused, looking thoughtful. "Or worse." She finished, shrugging. Despite her casual tone he noticed that she looked rather tired herself and was surprised that she wasn't as irritable as she looked.

"You're cheery for this time of the morning." He said suspiciously and his suspicion only increased when she actually giggled.

"George is here." She smiled widely and Numair put his roll down quickly.

"Enough, I need not hear any more."

Alanna laughed at his expression. "Fair enough." They sat in silence for a few moments before Alanna spoke again. "Have you seen Daine around?"

Numair tensed and glanced at the knight, wondering what she knew. Swallowing quickly he spoke as casually as he could. "No, I haven't. I, uh, think she said she was helping Onua this morning."

"Oh, I see. I hadn't really realized how much she's grown up until last night. She had quite a crowd if suitors following her around there for a while." Alanna chuckled slightly as Numair simply stared straight ahead trying to think of the best way to escape. Alanna glanced at him and laughed again. "Oh calm down, don't get so protective. It just surprised me is all and I was pointing it out. You know very well she's capable of taking care of herself. Despite the number of boys she has after her, I'm fairly sure she  
hasn't even taken a lover yet, she's got a good head on her shoulders. Anyway, I have to go."

Alanna said goodbye quickly and left leaving Numair to his thoughts. As the last thing Alanna had said sunk in only one thought went through his head: oh _shit_.

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**:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Voila! I give you chapter two!  
_**

**_disclaimer: not mine_**

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Daine walked towards the stables tugging at her collar anxiously. She had applied some powder to her neck in an attempt to further hide the marks, but it had done little to help. Sighing, she hoped the collar would be enough as she approached Onua.

"Morning." Daine said to the older woman, wincing as her head pounded at the sound of her own voice.

"Well, looks like someone had a fun night." Onua smirked at her and Daine felt herself blush. Turning away quickly the girl headed towards a stall.

"So what are we doing today?" She asked innocently, hoping Onua hadn't seen her reaction.

"Just brushing down some of the mounts. Think you can handle it?" Onua replied, still smirking. Daine didn't even dignify that with an answer, and simply went to work. Soon the two fell into a comfortable rhythm with the occasional bit of conversation and by noon all the mounts had been taken care of.

Though her head felt much better, Daine still felt exhausted and the day had begun to heat up fast. Sweating, she loosened her collar and sat on a bail of hay with a sigh. Onua leaned on the stall next to her and looked down at the girl.

"What's this?" The older woman asked wickedly and Daine looked up at her in confusion. Suddenly she remembered the marks on her neck and turned bright red, trying to pull her collar up to cover them.

"Well at least I know why you looked so tired this morning." Onua said with a teasing smile on her lips.

Daine blushed more violently and mumbled. "It's nothing"

"No need to be embarrassed; who's the boy?" The K'miri sat on the bail next to her; wide awake and waiting for details.

"No one, really." Daine said quickly, trying to figure out a way out of it and Onua laughed.

"You realize that those," she pulled down Daine's collar "Don't just appear all by themselves."

"It really doesn't matter." Daine said, looking down.

Onua stopped laughing and looked at the girl intently. "Did someone force you?" She asked seriously and Daine's head snapped up.

"No, no, nothing like that it's just," She paused "Complicated." Onua looked at her again for a few moments.

"Do you regret it?" There was a pause before Daine spoke.

"Yes, I-" Daine stopped, thinking about it. "Or no, I don't know, it's so confusing." She buried her head in her hands and Onua put an arm around her.

"Calm down, let's start from the beginning. Who was it? Someone you know?" She asked gently and Daine nodded. "Who then?"

"I can't tell you" Daine mumbled through her hands.

"Is he married?" She asked and Daine's head shot up once again, appalled.

"Of course not!" the girl exclaimed, offended, and Onua put her hands up in defense.

"I was just asking. Well then why can't you tell me?"

Daine just sighed and put her arms around her knees. "It's just complicated." She put her head down on her knees and Onua heard her mumble something.

"Sorry, what was that?" Daine sighed and lifted her head.

"It was Numair." She whispered quickly and Onua stared at her wide eyed.

"Numair? How did that happen?" Onua asked when she finally found the ability to form words.

"I don't remember." Daine said groaning. "We were drunk and neither of us remembers anything."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Only long enough to find out he doesn't remember anything either, and then I pretty much fled." Daine leaned back against the stall and sighed.

"You should probably go talk to him."

"No, not yet. I mean, it was so awkward this morning and I don't know how I'm going to face him." She shook her head, wincing at the remnants of a headache that she still possessed.

"You'll have to talk to him sooner or later." Onua said softly and Dane stood up.

"Well preferably later. I'm going to go take a bath." With that Daine stalked off and left Onua shaking her head.

* * *

Numair stalked down the hall towards Daine's rooms for what must have been the twelfth time that morning. Every time however he had ended up turning around before he reached it. He was currently torn between finding her to talk about what had happened and moving back to Carthak. The latter might just be easier for him.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he not only reached her room but walked right past it. As he realized this, he ran straight into someone who was coming around the corner. Reaching out he grabbed their shoulders to stop them from falling, only to find himself pressed flush against Daine. Due to the way she had twisted while falling they were also pressed against a wall. Numair found himself wondering if this was the worst day ever or the best as a surge of excitement pulsed through him.

"Hi." He said dumbly, not removing his hands. Daine was looking at him wide-eyed and seemed out of breath.

"Hi." She replied and neither moved for a moment, still pressed against the wall. "I was going to go take a bath." She said after no one had spoken for a moment. Numair realized their position and stepped back quickly, releasing her.

"Right, well, uh, have fun with that." He nodded at her and they stared at each other for a few moments before they both turned abruptly and went separate ways.

* * *

Dane sat cross legged on her bed fidgeting. After running into him, literally, in the hall she had begun thinking. Being pressed up against the wall by him had not only made her feel things that she couldn't describe but had also caused her to recall a similar incident from the night before.

After a long bath and a lot of thinking she was pretty sure she had finally managed to piece together the events of the night before. Now however, she found herself thinking that maybe it had been best forgotten. Not because it was bad or awkward but because it had been _amazing_ and now all she could think of was tracking him down for an encore.

She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. So what? This wasn't that big of a deal; all it meant was that she was now unbelievably attracted to her friend and teacher who had slept with her because he had been drunk and she couldn't get him out of her mind. She sighed deeply and fell back onto the bed and grumbled to herself.

"Shit."

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**Hope you liked it; new chapter should be up fairly soon....I'm kind of jumping between a lot of stories pretty sporadically at the moment...  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A new chapter! Sorry it took so long. I've decided to start writing in advance more...up until now I've mostly been posting as I write but I'm trying something new. With this method I'm hoping to stick to a weekly update schedule....I'll aim for updating it every Monday. Today's was really late but I'll update earlier in the day in the future. Anyway, I give you chapter 3! R&R people! Feedback is a wonderful thing! Thanks to my beta Micah Rapp Cullen!  
**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

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Daine had spent most of the day trying to distract herself from thinking about her new found memories, and all the new thoughts that they brought with them. Eventually she found herself in the library looking through some of her favorite books. She sighed loudly, despite her efforts, nothing had worked and she still couldn't stop herself from thinking about Numair. They hadn't even talked yet and she wasn't sure how she would face him now with the way she was feeling.

To be truthful, she wasn't sure that she would be able to control herself around him. On the bright side at least she could say that she definitely didn't regret it; not that she could tell him that. She felt herself blush as she found her mind drifting back to that night. Her mind began replaying the events, when suddenly a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hi" Numair said, hesitantly, and Daine jumped and looked up at him, blushing even deeper.

"Hi." She replied softly, and placed the book she had been holding onto the table. He placed his own stack of books next to hers and took the seat next to her. There was a moment of silence before Numair cleared his throat.

"We should talk." He said, looking her in the eye and she nodded. Silence rained over them again and Daine looked around, trying not to stare at his lips or his hands or his anything really.

"So Kit's with Tkaa?" He asked finally and Daine almost laughed, nodding.

"Yes, they're visiting the Dragon Lands. But we both know that's not really we should be talking about." He sighed in response and she noticed that both their hands were resting on the table, tantalizingly close to each others. It would be so easy to just reach over, they were in a secluded part of the library; tall shelves blocked off the table. All sorts of things could happen here without anyone being the wiser. Daine jumped when Numair spoke again and moved her hand into her lap.

"You're right; I'm sorry. I just don't really know how to handle this." He wasn't looking at her, but the tension in the air was so thick you could choke on it.

"So about the other night-" She began.

"I'm sorry." Numair said quickly, and she looked at him sharply.

"What for?"

"I'm so much older than you, Daine." He ran his hand through his hair. "I coerced you into coming to my bed and I never wanted to deceive you in that way or for you to regret-"

Now it was her turn to cut him off, placing a hand on his."You didn't deceive me."

Numair looked at her sharply."You remember?" He gripped her hand but she pulled it out of his grasp.

"Do you?" Her heart was hammering in her chest. What was she supposed to tell him now?

"No." He shook his head slowly and she responded before he had a chance to continue.

"Neither do I." Daine bit her lip. She hated lying to him but she wasn't ready to admit the whole truth just yet. "I just know that you wouldn't do that, and that whatever happened between us must have been on both sides." There was silence for a moment and she spoke again, softly. "Do you regret it?"

Numair froze for a moment and she prepared herself for the worst."I just don't know what to think. If something like that were to happen between us, I wouldn't have wanted it to play out like this." He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Do you?"

She took a breath, unsure of what to reveal. "No." Daine answered finally, and a strange emotion flashed across his face. "I just, I mean, if this were to happen I'd rather it be with you, someone I trusted. Besides, what's the use in regretting something you can't change?" She tried not to look him in the eyes, trying not to reveal too much.

Numair opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly as voices could be heard from the other side of the stacks. He pulled his chair towards hers and leaned in closer to her so that they wouldn't be overheard. Daine caught her breath as she suddenly realized how close they were and felt herself blushing. She fought the urge to lean in and kiss him, barely.

"Are you sore?" He whispered, and she looked him in the eyes to see the worry there.

"No, not at all." She shook her head, softening at his concern.

"But were you yesterday? Did I hurt you? I mean, it was your first time right?" Numair asked this hesitantly, and she nodded.

"It was, but I wasn't sore. You didn't hurt me." He raised an eyebrow and she continued, flustered. "I don't think anyway, if you had I think I would have felt it afterward." He nodded, accepting her response and they descended into silence.

Daine again became aware or how close they were and wondered if it was just her or if they were really drawing closer to each other. Just as she could have sworn that she could feel his breath on her lips, he stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, I have work to get to." He picked up his books and began to walk away before turning around quickly and coming back to give her a swift hug. "Meet for lunch tomorrow, magelet?" He asked and she nodded, smiling at the nickname. Even through everything, it was good to know that some things stayed the same.

"I'll meet you in the dining hall at noon bell." She said and Numair released her, walking away. She collapsed in the chair when she heard his footsteps fade and released a breath. Daine had no idea how she was going to handle this.

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**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

** Voila! Chapter 4 right on schedule :) There's an author's note at the bottom I'd appreciate it if you all read too! **

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Numair sat in his study staring at the now cold plate of food sitting in front of him. Part of him was relieved to have talked to Daine, but part of him also felt as though they hadn't really accomplished anything.

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. He was being silly of course, he couldn't expect all of the tension to disappear after just one discussion. The mage sighed again and leaned back in his chair. It hadn't helped matters that he had come very close to kissing her; too close. He had been wrestling with his feelings for so long that he felt as though this would push him over the edge. He had been imagining what it would be like to hold her, to kiss her for months and now he had, but he couldn't remember any of it. He couldn't even begin to describe how cruel that was.

There had been a moment there in the library when for a split second Numair could have sworn he had seen his own desire mirrored in her eyes, if only he had leaned forward a little more. He sighed yet again and stood up angrily. He couldn't let himself think this way. Any signs he thought he saw must have been imagined, that's all it could be. He walked over to his cabinet and unlocked it, pulling out a bottle of brandy. Pouring himself a glass he gulped it down quickly, feeling it burn on it's way down and pouring another glass. He couldn't let himself imagine that she was sending signs and risk ruining things between them forever.

* * *

Daine moved the food around on her tray with her fork, running over the conversation she had had with Numair in her head. She was at a complete loss with what to do with the situation. How was she supposed to act normally around him when she felt the way she did? She doubted that he would ever willingly take her to bed sober.

On the other hand he did say that if they were ever to do something like that then he wouldn't have wanted it to happen the way it did. That could mean that he had thought of the possibility. She shook her head; she couldn't let herself imagine such possibilities when they clearly couldn't be a reality. All you had to do was look at the women he was connected with. They were all mature, elegant, well-bred, blonde, buxom and everything else that she was not.

She surprised herself at the overwhelming sensation of jealousy that overcame her. She tried to shake it off but couldn't and became increasingly confused; why would she be so jealous? It wasn't as though she... Daine nearly dropped her fork as an altogether new thought came to her. One that she was amazed hadn't even crossed her mind through all of this. What if this wasn't just about lust? The minute she thought it she knew it was true; what she felt couldn't be just lust and she felt it become harder to breathe. Gods above. She _loved_ him. This new reality was sinking in when she was startled as a tray was placed on the table next to her.

"What's got you looking so frightened? You look like Ozorne just rose from the dead." Onua said, giving her an appraising look.

"Nothing, just thinking." Daine said, shaking her head.

"Well you've had a lot to think about to be sure." Onua said coyly and Daine glared slightly as another tray was placed across from her.

"What's all this you've had to think about?" Alanna asked as she sat down. Daine blushed scarlet and looked down at her tray as Onua grinned wickedly.

"Nothing." Daine mumbled, but Alanna regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't suppose it would have anything to do with those lovely things, now would it?" Alanna asked, smirking, as she pointed at Daines neck. Daine blushed furiously and pulled her collar up; she really had to do something about that.

"So who's the lucky young buck?" The knight asked and Daine groaned.

"Three guesses and I'll be disappointed if you don't get it on the first one." said Onua, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Numair? Really?" Alanna asked immediately and Daine looked up at her, mouth open.

"How did you know?" She hissed and the two older women laughed.

"We've all been waiting for you two to get together for months now." Alanna said as though it were nothing and took a bit out of her apple as Daine turned to Onua.

"But you were surprised." The girl exclaimed and the K'mir shook her head.

"Only by the way it happened."

"Why? How'd it happen?" Alanna asked, suddenly paying attention again. The knight looked at Daine expectantly for a moment before the wildmage waved a hand at Onua, giving her permission to tell the story.

"Apparently they got a little too festive the other night and were a little intoxicated."

"Oh, that is surprising. So are you together then?"

"No, we're not. It was just something that happened." Daine stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"They don't even remember anything." Onua filled in and Daine felt herself blushing furiously.

"Really? Because by our girl-child's, well I guess she's a woman now, complexion I could swear she did." Alanna raised an infuriating eyebrow and Daine wished she could sink into the ground. As mortified as she was she could admit to herself that she did need people to talk to on the matter.

"I may have remembered some parts." She said softly, thinking that if she blushed anymore she might just spontaneously combust.

"How much?" Onua asked and Daine sighed.

"All of it."

"And?" She asked, motioning with her hand for more information. Daine wondered if she was actually on fire now. Seeing the reaction, the older women laughed.

"Well then, you _did_ have some fun now didn't you?" Onua said, laughing.

"It's not funny." Daine groaned miserably and the other women stopped immediately.

"I'm sorry Daine, you're right. Have you two talked?" Alanna asked.

Daine gave them a brief overview of the conversation earlier that day, not that the actual conversation hadn't been brief. The two women looked thoughtful and Daine continued. "I just don't know what to do now; I mean I have all these feelings and I just-" She gave up trying to explain what she felt and sighed.

"Well, is it just lust, or do you love him?" Onua asked after a moment, her tone serious.

Daine took a deep breath. "I think I may love him, but the thought just hit me. I haven't even had time to process it and-" She broke off again feeling her eyes sting. She _would not_ get overly emotional. She felt Onua put an arm over her shoulders.

"Don't fret, you're not expected to handle this all at once." She said and Daine smiled at her. "I just wanted to know because if you don't love him then you shouldn't pursue him; he wouldn't be able to take it." Alanna nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Daine asked, thoroughly confused.

"Don't be thick, why do you think we weren't surprised?" Alanna asked, eyebrow raised again. "You should see the way he looks at you. He's been in love with you for months."

"Of course he hasn't." Daine said shaking her head. "I would have noticed something surely, or he would have said something."

"Would you have said something if you didn't know he felt the same?" Onua asked and Daine knew she wouldn't. She started to think back, looking for signs, but it was too much for her just now. "I know it's a lot to deal with right now but trust us, everybody's been able to see it for a long time; maybe even before he knew it."

"You should go talk to him, tell him how you feel." Alanna said encouragingly. Before Daine could reply, say that she couldn't possibly do that Onua did it for her.

"No, not now." The K'mir said, and Alanna looked at her sharply.

"Why ever not?"

"You know Numair. If she goes to him right now after what's just happened he'll think he tricked her into it somehow. He'll never believe she really loves him; he'll just withdraw and it will be more of a mess."

"That's a good point, he does have a habit of playing the martyr." Alanna said, leaning back in her chair.

Daine groaned. "Then what do I do?" she asked, tired and frustrated. There was a moment of silence before Alanna grinned wickedly.

"You'll just have to _show_ him you mean it." The Lioness said and Daine looked at her skeptically. She was going to ask what she meant but decided against it, she was tired and her head hurt.

"I need to go to bed." She said, standing up and the other women nodded.

"Good idea, you've had a long day. You should get some rest and think about things." Onua said nodding and Alanna smiled again.

"We'll talk tomorrow." She said and Daine walked away warily. She wasn't at all sure she was going to like what she was getting into.

* * *

** Anyway, As some of you may know I have a forum called The D/N Writer's forum. Right not we're starting up a writing competition that will take place over the next month or so. Basically everyone who wants to participate signs up on the forum and after sign-ups a prompt is released. Everyone writes a story from that prompt and after they are all submitted they are voted on and one fic wins. If anyone is interested they should head over to the forum via my user profile page and check it out. There's a competition sign-up thread that has more information about the competition. Hope to see some of you compete and maybe see you around the forum! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

CHapter 5! Enjoy! Thanks to my beta Micah Rapp Cullen!

* * *

Daine yawned as she dragged the brush through her tangle of hair. Despite falling almost instantly to sleep the night before, she still felt exhausted. Everything that had happened over the last few days had begun to take their toll on the girl, and she frowned slightly as she looked into the mirror and saw the faint trace of dark circles under her eyes. Just then a knock on the door interrupted her and she put the brush down and answered it.

"Morning. We've been scheming." Onua said grinning as she walked into the room. Alanna followed, handing Daine a sweet bun. Daine sighed; apparently this would take a while. She couldn't help the feeling of apprehension that came over her as the two older women took seats on her bed, wide smiles on their faces. She closed the door and turned to them.

"Something tells me I should be scared." She mumbled and Alanna chuckled.

"Nonsense." The knight said, patting the spot on the bed between her and Onua. Daine steeled herself for whatever was about to come and sat between the two.

"So what's your master plan?" Daine asked as she took a bite of the sweet bun.

"You seduce him." Onua stated matter-of-factly and Daine choked on her food. She gasped for a few seconds as Alanna thumped her on the back before looking between the two of them wide-eyed.

"_What_?" She asked dumbfounded. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?" Alanna and Onua burst into laughter.

"What do you mean _how_?" Alanna asked, still laughing. "In case you haven't noticed you already _have_; a repeat shouldn't be that hard."

"But I didn't-" She spluttered. "I mean; it was a mutual thing really." She floundered, feeling that she was rapidly getting in over her head.

"Exactly, last time it was mutual. If you instigate things all on your own this time, he can't think he's taking advantage of you." Onua stated, again as though it were the most obvious response, as she reached over to steal a chunk of Daine's sweet bun.

"But, I mean, I don't know how-" Daine faltered, feeling herself turn red as she imagined herself trying to seduce someone as experienced as Numair; there was no way that that would go well.

"Well that's while we're here." Alanna was grinning again. "We can give you tips so to speak."

"Tips?" Daine repeated warily.

"So to speak. There _are_ certain things you pick up after a while on your own." Alanna said looking away and Daine was amused to see that it was the Lioness who had a slight blush now. Onua nodded, grinning at the knight as well.

"Just certain things you can do to get his attention." The K'mir said, looking back at Daine. "So what do you think?" The two women stared at Daine as the younger girl paled. She sat there, silent, for a few moments before shaking her head and standing up.

"No, I don't want to play games. Nothing good will come of that. I just need to tell him; it shouldn't be that hard." She turned to see Onua and Alanna staring at her with raised eyebrows. "What?" Daine asked indignantly "I will!" With that she stuffed the remainder of the sweet bun into her mouth and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Daine stared at her lunch, dejected. Perhaps she had been a little over sure of herself when she said that telling him wouldn't be that hard. She was currently sitting next to him in the lunch hall as he told her about his classes that morning. She had started to tell him about six times in the last half hour only to flounder and change what she was saying at the last moment.

So far that had resulted in three stories about Kit that he had been present for, two that Onua would kill her for telling, and one about a sticky situation that she had gotten into while helping a mare give birth that she was positive must have killed any sexual feelings he could have possibly had for her. She sighed and he stopped what he was saying at, turning to her.

"Are you alright? You seem distracted." He murmured and she looked up at him nodding.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired. It's nothing really." She smiled at him and he returned it though his eyes still held worry.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to. If you're tired-" Numair said hesitantly, not meeting her eye. She understood the real meaning of his words and shook her head.

"No, I want to be. Just tired, don't worry." Daine made him look her in the eyes and he nodded, understanding. They stared at each other for a few moments and her breath caught in her throat as he reached out to brush some hair from her eyes.

"Make sure to get some sleep tonight, alright, magelet?" He murmured and as she looked in his eyes she started to believe that what Alanna and Onua had told her was true; he felt the same way. She opened her mouth to tell him everything but just then a loud noise broke out across the mess hall and he dropped his hand quickly, backing off, the emotion in his eyes disappearing. She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and turned to see that someone had dropped their tray. Numair cleared his throat and stood.

"I should be getting back, I have a class soon." He smiled down at her and lightly put a hand on her shoulder before he picked up his own tray and walked away.

* * *

Daine managed to track down both Alanna and Onua at dinner and was thankful to see that they had no other company at their table. She walked over to them swiftly and took a seat.

"I'm in; what do I do?" She asked and they stared at her for a moment before Alanna spoke, smirking.

"Well then, I suppose it wasn't so easy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Daine glared at her. "I'm sorry; I'm only teasing."

"I know." Daine sighed. "So what do I do?" She asked again, becoming increasingly annoyed with the entire situation.

"Calm down, it's not all going to happen in one night." Onua said, patting Daine on the back. "It's my day off tomorrow, we'll take you out shopping and talk over the more specific points then."

"Shopping?" Daine asked, bewildered. "For what?"

"Well." Alanna said, smirking again. "Do you remember that gift Miri gave you last year?"

Daine turned a brilliant shade of red. Of course she remembered. It didn't help that Miri had seen fit to give it to her in front of Onua, Alanna and the Queen. It had been a joke gift but she could still remember how embarrassed she had been, at the time she hadn't even known that such things existed.

"Yes." Daine mumbled, still mortified at the memory.

"Some things like that I suppose, you still have that pair yes?" Alanna asked, oblivious to the girl's embarrassment until she turned an even deeper shade of red at the last question.

"Actually-"

* * *

Numair decided that cleaning his room to vent his frustration had been a very bad plan indeed. Horrendous in fact as it had done absolutely nothing to ease his mind and in fact had done the opposite. He had slipped up at lunch again that day and had been berating himself for it since. So he had come back to his room and decided to neaten up, hoping it would take his mind off of things. However when he had knelt down to check underneath his couch for errant papers and such he had found something that had done anything but taken his mind _off _of matters. At that moment Numair leaned back in his chair staring at the offending item. On his desk lay an absolutely sinful pair of black lace panties. He hadn't even known that she frequented such shops but he knew that this discovery was going to do _anything_ but help his self control.

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** Review please! I know all they had were loincloths...and they were unisex.....but this is fanfiction so I am ignoring that fact....  
**


	6. Chapter 6

** So so sorry I missed last weeks update! In penance I've made this chapter twice as long! I was going to post it early too...but my internet was having none of that...Anyway enjoy! **

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Daine grumbled; she was fair positive that her cheeks were going to be officially stained red after all the blushing she had been doing. She had planned to go down into Corus with Onua and Alanna to do some shopping while they gave her 'pointers'. Upon answering the knock at her door that morning however she had also been greeted by the queen who was grinning fair evilly.

"What's got your loincloth in a twist?" Onua asked the sulking girl before smirking. "Oh wait, you lost those didn't you?" Daine glared blackly at the woman and sighed.

"You didn't have to go telling everyone." Daine grumbled and Onua threw and arm over her shoulder.

"Nonsense; she had it pretty much all figured out by the time she got to us. Besides she's better suited for help with this part. You didn't really think that Alanna and me had that good of a hold on all things feminine did you? I work in horse manure up to my elbows most days after all." That earned a chuckle from Daine albeit a small one.

"I see your point." The brunette looked around as they walked through the streets, paranoid. She felt as though everyone was watching her, knowing what she was up to.

"Stop fretting." Thayet said, dropping back to walk next to Daine and tousle her hair. "All will be well. We should stop here first." With that the Queen pulled her into a shop as the other two women followed.

* * *

A couple hours later Daine had several packages laden with new face paint, a few new simple pieces of jewelry and some new fragrances and shampoos. They had stopped at a local tavern for lunch (it wasn't until then that she had realized that they were being followed by palace guards, deepening her embarrassment).

"Now all we have left is the tailors." Thayet said as she took a sip of cider and Daine looked at her, confused.

"I already have dresses for the season." She said, eyeing the queen.

"Oh I know, those dresses will work perfectly." Thayet said waving her off.

"One of them already has." Alanna said smirking and Daine raised an eyebrow. She had noticed that the dresses that Thayet had had commissioned for her this year were far more revealing and intricate than any she had had in the past. They clung to her more and dipped lower than any of her past gowns and she had felt uncomfortable, but the Queen had assured her that is was much more fitting now that she was older.

"Surely you didn't have this in mind when you had those made." Daine hissed, shocked, and Thayet made a face.

"Well not this exactly; I had no idea they would work so well." She said shrugging, trying to hide a smile as she took another sip of cider. "You've worn the red one recently so I would suggest that you wear the green to the dinner party tomorrow evening." She added as Daine looked at her.

"Dinner party?" The girl asked, missing something, and Thayet shot Alanna a look. The knight froze and then started.

"Oh right, Daine, Thayet would like me to tell you that you are to attend a dinner party tomorrow evening for the Kings council and some of those who were influential in bringing the war to an end." The redhead smiled as Onua giggled and Thayet rolled her eyes.

"If it's just a dinner why would I need to dress up that much?" Daine asked and Thayet sighed.

"Unfortunately it's never _just a dinner_; there will be many nobles present as well. It's much bigger than it sounds. Anyway, we need to go to the tailor because we need to get you some new breeches and tunics."

"Why? These fit just fine." Daine said, looking down.

"Yes well, we're going to get you some that are a little more" She paused before continuing again. "Form fitting. Plus I believe I heard from someone that you've misplaces some of your under things and need them replaced?" Thayet raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed.

"That's not true." She mumbled, looking down. "I know right where they are."

* * *

Daine's head was spinning. How were these _tips_ supposed to be helpful? Coy glances and smiles, subtle ways to brush against him, lingering touches under the pretence of innocence, subtle innuendoes when she talked to him? She was most definitely in over her head. Subtlety, after all, had never been her strong point. She was a set-your-mind-to-it-and-just-do-it kind of girl. This nonsense was most definitely not how she worked. It had, she sighed, worked for countless other women in the past however which meant there must be something to it.

She was currently deeply in thought as the tailor bagged the items they were taking with them and added a receipt for the things that were to be sent to her rooms when they were ready. She took the parcels and tried not to look conspicuous though she could feel the heat in her cheeks. The parcels she had with her contained several sets in different color of what could hardly hold up as underwear as well as one corset and multiple pairs of garters.

"Is all of this really necessary?" Daine hissed as they left the shop.

"Necessary? No." Thayet said and Alanna grinned.

"Fun? Most definitely." The knight said, and Onua linked an arm through Daine's as the three women laughed. They walked almost halfway to the castle before Daine sighed.

"I don't know if I can do this you guys; not like this." She said hopelessly and the others stopped.

"Of course you can." Onua said, patting her back. "In fact you've already done it."

"That's not it. I just-" She sighed, breaking off. "This kind of thing, I'm no good at it." She sighed again and Onua wrapped an arm around her.

"You won't know until you try." She said and Daine shrugged out of her grip.

"I just…I'll come up with another plan." She mumbled, looking down at her bags. Alanna and Thayet exchanged a glance before the Queen spoke.

"Well, why don't you just hold on to the bags just in case?"

* * *

Numair fidgeted in his chair and heard Lindhall sigh from his seat across the study.

"You've been restless for days. Are you going to tell me what's wrong anytime soon?" His mentor asked, and Numair sighed. There was a moment of silence before Numair finally decided that it would be better to just get it over with.

"I slept with Daine." He said, not looking at Lindhall. The man in question closed his book, giving Numair his full attention.

"And?" He asked as Numair stared at him, flabbergasted.

"What do you mean 'and'? That isn't bad enough?"

"That depends, was it bad?" Numair spluttered and Lindhall raised a hand in defense. "That's not what I meant by it; I just want to know what the problem is."

Numair jumped to his feet and began to pace.

"What's the problem? She's my student and fourteen years my junior."

"I seem to recall that she has not truly been your student for some time and you were friends during that time as well. Besides, many people have relations and marry with age differences equal or greater than that."

"That's all well enough, but she's so innocent and I tricked her-" He cut off, his throat suddenly becoming dry at the thought of what tricks he could have used. For the first time in the conversation Lindhall stiffened a bit.

"What do you mean you tricked her? What exactly happened?" He asked a warning in his voice and Numair ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know, I can't remember a thing. I just remember waking up next to her and her scrambling out of the room as fast as possible. She says she doesn't remember either but that just means she still trusts me despite the awful things I must have done."

"Numair, you don't even know what you did. You-" Lindhall tried to comfort his former pupil but was cut off when Numair misunderstood him, too caught up in his own train of thought.

"Gods above, you're right. I could have done anything. What am I supposed to do now? I obviously can't trust myself around her; what if I do it again?" He was becoming panicked now and Lindhall stood up, hoping to calm him down.

"Numair; I think it's clear what you should do-" He was cut off once again by the other mage.

"You're right. I just have to get over her. That's it: If I'm over her I won't be tempted. I'll just try harder to be interested in other woman. That should work." Numair was mumbling to himself now and he mumbled a quick thanks to Lindhall before sweeping from the room. Lindhall stood there for a moment, dumbstruck, and shook his head to himself.

"Hopeless." He muttered before returning to his book figuring he might as well see how it turned out.

* * *

Daine huffed as she walked toward one of the many dining rooms, already late. Before leaving her off at her room Thayet had informed her that there would be a smaller dinner tonight in preparation for the larger one the following evening that she would be expected to attend. She sighed, annoyed, who had ever heard of a pre-dinner? She slipped into the room and blanched a bit. The small dinner consisted of a full-length banquet table and held numerous nobles; an area had also been cleared for dancing. Clearly nothing about this dinner was going to be simple. She had worn one of her simpler cotton gowns and had kept her face-paint and jewelry to a minimum that night though now she felt slightly underdressed. Thankfully her late entrance had not been noticed as several people were also still making their way to their seats. She noticed that a seat had been saved for her next to Numair and she slid into it gratefully.

"Sorry I'm late; Lost track of the time." She mumbled, sliding her chair closer to the table.

* * *

Numair turned as Daine slid into the seat next to him. As usual his breath caught at her sudden presence but he kept himself outwardly composed.

"Good evening." He said amenably and she smiled up at him.

" 'Evening." She replied and he noticed that her cheeks were flushed and she was panting slightly, she must have rushed to get here on time. He cleared his throat and looked away quickly when his mind began to wander to other reasons as to why she might be flustered. He had to find something to get his mind off of her quickly; she had been here less than three minutes and he was already coveting her. He looked to his right quickly and sighed inwardly to see that no one of interest had been seated there. He would just have to keep his self-control until the meal was over with.

* * *

Daine sighed sourly. If she even had decided to carry out the plan she wouldn't have had any opportunity. Numair had been perfectly pleasant but something seemed off. He acted as though he was holding back and he had been avoiding her eye. Just when she had been about to ask him if she could talk to him privately he excused himself. The next thing she new he had somehow coaxed Alanna out of her seat between Lindhall and George under the pretext of some apparently urgent discussion he had to have with his old mentor.

"Relax; He's just being Numair. You know how lost he can get." Alanna said quietly as Daine moved her dessert idly around onto her plate. "Just wait until the dancing begins; maybe you can snag him then."

That had however not happened. She had lost sight of him as soon as Dinner had ended and by the time she saw him again, she wished she hadn't. He was entertaining two noblewomen who seemed to be particularly enthralled with him. She scowled as he conjured flowers for them, a smile gracing his dashing features. Her temper then turned to the women. They were both blonde, slim, shapely; all soft skin and coy smiles. She felt a sudden sting in her eyes when she realized what she must look like compared to them. No wonder he was paying no attention to her; she was amazed he had taken her to his bed when he had choices like the women he was entertaining. Daine looked around and, deciding no one would miss her, slipped from the room to return to her rooms with a plan already forming in her head. She might not look like them but she had what she needed in her chambers to at least get closer. It looked like the plan was back on.

** Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry I've been gone so long :( Things got busy. Here's a new chapter though and thanks to AliMac for being my beta!**

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Daine couldn't help but grin as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her new breeches and shirt definitely _did_ look different than her old ones. They hugged her body more and showed off her curves, curves that had never been noticeable in her old clothes. She grinned again when she realized that she actually had curves; somehow she had missed when that happened. She had left her hair down and made some efforts to tame it that had actually gone over rather well, though she didn't know how long it would last for. She had also applied small amounts of face paint, not so much that is was all that noticeable but it had added some definition to her eyes. She smiled once more, pleased with the outcome, and turned to leave her room. She paused only briefly, blushing at the thought of walking outside like that but shook her head. If she was going to get anywhere with Numair she couldn't be too scared to even walk out her door.

She could feel herself blushing again, this time pleased, as she walked through the halls and felt eyes lingering on her. She had had Numair and Onua tease her about all the young men who's heads were turned by her but she had never taken it seriously or noticed it until now. She finally reached Numair's rooms and rapped on the door lightly. She heard a few thumps from inside before the door was swung open.

"Daine," Numair said, sounding surprised, "Did we have plans?"

"No, we didn't. Do I have to schedule time to see you now?" She teased, noticing that his eyes were lingering below her face. At her statement his gaze shot up and she was pleased to see his cheeks were stained with red.

"No, no of course not magelet. I was simply surprised," He paused for a moment before starting, "Come on in," She mumbled her thanks as he shut the door behind them, "So what may I do for you?" She turned to him, purposefully standing too close. He turned to her, almost running into her actually, and quickly stepped back as he mumbled an apology. She bit her lip before making up an excuse. She felt strange for needing an excuse to come and see him but this was entirely new territory for her.

"I was wondering if I could borrow a book?" She asked quickly and he nodded.

"Of course, which one?" He walked over to one of the many bookcases lining the walls of the study and she moved to stand next to him, brushing against him as she did so.

"Not sure actually," She said, leaning against the shelf so that she was facing him and looking up into his face. She bit her lip trying to look coy. Thayet had said that coy was a good look although she wasn't entirely sure what it entailed, "Perhaps you could suggest something?" She was pleased to see that he seemed to have lost his concentration for a moment and was staring at her, mouth slightly open, before he shook his head and stammered.

"Of course, I'll just-" He trailed off, moving away from her once again as he began to pull books from their resting places. Soon he had accumulated a small pile and moved over to the couch, setting them on the table there, "Why don't we take a look at some of these?" She walked over and sat next to him, close enough so that their thighs rested against one another's.

"What are these on?" She asked, trying to sound innocent even though his proximity was making it hard for her to concentrate.

"They're," He stammered, not looking at her, "You know, about things and you read them," He mumbled. She was just beginning to wonder if it were possible for her to get closer to him when he jumped up, "I think I may have another you may like actually." He quickly pulled a book from the shelves, obviously a random pick, and returned to sit on the chair across from her. She sighed under her breath; this was not going at all how she had planned.

* * *

Numair shut the door behind him, his entire body literally shaking. Why on earth did the gods see it fit to be so cruel to him? Out of all the time he had spent with Daine, all the hours alone, all the nights on the road since realizing his feelings for her he had never felt so tempted as he had in the last hour. From the moment he opened the door he knew he was in trouble. He should have made up some excuse, some prior commitment but how could he not have let her in looking like that? Her hair, usually pinned up in some practical way, had been cascading around her face in soft waves just begging to be touched and her clothes, Mithros, Minos and Shakith, her clothes. There had definitely been something different with what she was wearing than her usual everyday clothes. They clung to her in just the right way, making her look so much curvier and more womanly than she usually did. He had of course known that she was not the slim and curve-less woman that some had assumed after seeing her unclothed as much as he had but her usual clothes usually hid that.

After he had let her in things had only gotten harder, in more than one sense of the word he was embarrassed to admit. He must have been imagining it, Daine was never one to play at flirtatious games and especially not with him but it had seemed that she had been making a point to stay close to him. She had brushed up against him on several occasions and seemed to always be standing so close that he could feel her every movement. Also, gods above, the way she had looked up at him when she was against that bookcase; he had almost lost it right there. Especially when his gaze had drifted down and, thanks to his elevated height, he had gotten the briefest glimpse of black lace beneath her shirt. He had quickly looked away but was left wondering if what she was wearing matched the pair of panties that were currently residing in his bedside table. He had almost taken her right there against the shelf but had stopped himself, barely. Numair sighed, buttoning up the last of his robe. He was sure he had just been imagining things; letting his own wistful imagination get the better of him. Daine wasn't one for such games. As he walked out the door to head for the dinner party another voice in the back of his head spoke up and reminded him that he had never thought that Daine would be one for black lace either but he quickly pushed the thought away.

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**R&R please! Next chapter is almost done!**


	8. Chapter 8

**New chapter! Enjoy and thanks once again to AliMac for being my beta!**

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"Goddess, I barely recognize you!" Miri exclaimed after finishing the last of the fastenings on Daine's dress.

"You like it then?" Daine said, sizing herself up in the mirror. She thought she looked good but her failure with Numair earlier in the day had made her rather downhearted. Perhaps she had just been too subtle. If bold was what was needed then this look was definitely in order. The dress was green and satiny and resembled the gown she had worn on that infamous night quite a bit, with a few exceptions. The first had been red and clingy, even the skirts, and sleeveless with thin straps holding it up. This one however left her shoulders exposed, the straps wrapping around her shoulders, and the skirt was a bit fuller, though it still dipped quite low on her back. She fingered the delicate black lace that added the details at her waist as she looked over her reflection again. The dress was striking, her hair was pinned and set, her face paint was dramatic; this _had_ to get some sort of reaction.

"Yes, of course I do," Miri said waving her question off, "Just don't know when my little Daine grew up." She said with mock sadness and Daine swatted her in the arm.

"Shush, you're only a couple years older than me." She said rolling her eyes.

"That may be true but I'd still kill to look like that in that dress," Miri grinned, waggling her eyebrows, "You'll turn more than a few heads tonight."

"I'm not looking to turn any heads tonight, thank you very much," Daine replied, blushing. _Just one_, she thought to herself.

"Oh really?" Miri said devilishly and Daine looked over to see her holding up a lacy black and gold corset. She quickly snatched it from the rider and stuffed it in her drawer.

"That was a gift," She mumbled thinking of the undergarments she had on and blushing when she realized how much she hoped they would be put to use that night.

"Of course it was," Miri said dryly, "Well, I've got to go. Not all of us get to spend a glamorous evening with Tortall's finest. Instead we get to sit in a tavern and try to stop our friends from flirting with everything in a skirt and getting thrown out of said tavern."

"You and Evin have such fun without me," Daine said teased, smiling sweetly, and the two laughed as Miri left. Daine was about the exit the room when she realized what she was forgetting and pulled on the pair of delicate lace, elbow length gloves. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before heading off to the dinner.

* * *

Dinner was a tedious affair. Daine never had been one for court civilities and mindless chatter that most times thinly covered insults and political agendas. Normally she would have spent most of the meal conversing with the palace animals. Since the war however, her status in society had been seemingly greatly upgraded which meant she was no longer separated from her friends to sit with the lesser mages and nobles and such. She was currently near Lindhall and Alanna as well as a spattering of mages whom she knew from around the palace. The best part, however, was that she had been seated next to Numair. For the first few courses (she would never get used to having an eight course dinner no matter how 'civilized' it was supposed to be) she had only dared to make a few veiled comments with there being so many people around them. He had paused at a couple but they really hadn't been that suggestive to begin with, she didn't want to be _that_ obvious while surrounded by people, though she did see Alanna smirk a couple times. However when the main course arrived she had a new idea and went for it before she could chicken out.

"Numair," She said softly, placing a hand on his thigh, "could you pass me the bread?" She looked at him innocently but felt him freeze under her touch. He coughed to hide a stutter, glancing around them at the others.

"Of course," He mumbled, handing the basket to her. She smiled and slid her hand up his thigh, too high for it to be considered appropriate, and squeezed lightly before sliding her hand away and taking the basket from him. She held back her advances for the rest of the meal feeling that she had already made an impression. She chatted politely and smiled when was appropriate but she was very aware of how often his eyes flicked to her.

Eventually the last course had been completed and cleared and people were beginning to rise from the table to participate in the rest of the festivities for the night. Daine stood up and noticed that Numair was remaining seated. She took a quick look around and sure that no one was looking at them placed a hand on Numair's shoulder, brushing the nape of his neck, and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Save a dance for me?" She whispered and he nodded.

"Sure, in a bit," He said, voice sounding hoarse. She nodded and moved away, needing a little time to plot further.

* * *

Numair let out a deep breath when Daine finally moved away from him. It wasn't that he didn't want her there, quite the opposite. He dared not stand up for a few more moments, amazed at the effect that her simple touch on his leg had caused. Although thinking back to it, it wasn't so much simple as very _very_ suggestive. He was having trouble believing that Daine would act that way towards him. It had been a brief touch though, perhaps he was blowing it out of proportion, it wouldn't be the first time his imagination had gotten the better of him. It was entirely possible that it had been meant as a completely innocent gesture. He accepted a glass of wine offered to him by a servant and casually scanned the room for her. When his eyes fell upon her he sighed softly; she _was_ beautiful tonight. The tight green fabric of the dress did wonders for her in a tortuously sensuous way and he was sure that he was not the only pair of eyes admiring her that night. Something about the dress seemed familiar and when he thought about it he realized that in some ways it resembled the one she had worn that night. He remembered that that one had been a vivid red and how smooth the fabric had been as he had slid it up her thighs. He choked on his wine at his last thought, freezing. Where on earth had that come from? He tried to recall it again and found that he could, in vivid detail as it were. He chanced looking back to her and caught her eye as she smiled at him over her shoulder. Something about that smile was familiar too, the faint playfulness of it as she glanced behind her. The smooth contours of her back exposed and begging to be touched. Suddenly he could remember running his hands down that back as red fabric fell from her shoulders. The image of her with her head thrown back with eyes closed and mouth parted flashed before his mind and he took a large swig of his drink. Now was not the time for these memories to be coming back to him.

There was a polite 'excuse me' from his left and he turned to see a page with a decanter of wine.

"More wine master Salmalin?" The boy asked and Numair began to nod before hesitating. He was already walking on thin ice and since drinking was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place he felt it was just asking for trouble to repeat anything.

"No thank you," He murmured and the page took the glass, disappearing into the crowd. From the corner of his eye he saw a flash of green heading in his direction and turned to walk away quickly, pretending not to see her. There was no way that he could trust himself around her right now.

* * *

Later that night Numair stripped and slid into his bed, tired and frustrated. He had spent the rest of the night avoiding Daine but watching her at the same time. He hadn't been obvious about it, he had danced with a few women and instigated small talk with dignitaries but every time he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye more memories came flooding back. By the time he had left the party and washed up he had pieced together the entire night more or less. Before he had earnestly wished to remember but now he wasn't sure what was worse; not knowing what it had been like or knowing all too well. He slid down in bed, trying to will himself to go to sleep but his mind was racing. His fantasies had been bad enough to date but now with the actual memories of her beneath him, pleading his name, it was a hundred times worse. He sighed, still trying to calm his rebellious mind and body. Minutes passed, how many he didn't know, before he sighed far too frustrated to care. He reached over and opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the delicate lace article before sinking down further into the bed. A few more fantasies couldn't hurt.

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**R&R please!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry!!!! I meant to have this out forever ago but then I ran into midterms..and then I got the new Final Fantasy game and well...to those who play FF you'll understand, to those who don't--I'm sorry. Anyway, On the bright side here's a REALLY long chapter..it's almsot half as long as the fic was up until this point! Also, as another bonuse..the next, and final, chapter is already written and sent to my beta!!! Speaking of my beta..a big thanks to AliMac! I pestered her quite a bit for this one :s.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Daine hesitated before knocking on Numair's door loudly. She heard some faint shuffling from inside and had to stop herself from tapping her foot impatiently. She was fair vexed about the way the night before had unfolded. She hadn't been able to catch him once after dinner; every time she got close to him he moved away before she could reach the mage. While it was possible that it had all been an unfortunate series of coincidences something at the back of her mind was nagging at her. Had he been avoiding her? She sighed but decided that maybe she was imagining things. She didn't want to make things complicated between them, more than they already were anyway, so perhaps she ought to just not bring it up at all. She had other things to talk to him about anyway. She was about to knock again when the door swung open and Numair's hand shot out to catch hers before it hit him.

"I would like to point out that it is usually considered bad manners to strike someone as a greeting," he teased lightly but she frowned noticing that he looked tired.

"Are you alright?" She asked, stepping closer to him to get a better look. She heard him suck in a breath and there was a beat in which she felt heat rush through her body. His thumb idly stroked the hand he still held before he quickly cleared his throat and stepped back, releasing her.

"I'm fine, late night is all. I didn't get a lot of sleep," He explained as he stepped back, motioning for her to come in. As she walked past him and sat on the arm of one of the chairs she couldn't help an envious part of her mind wondering if there had been another person responsibly for his lack of sleep.

"Is there any particular reason I am graced by your presence?" He smiled lightly, sitting in the chair opposite her.

"Yes, actually. I was wondering what we were going to do now?" She asked and saw him stiffen and look up at her. There was a moment of silence before Daine spoke again, "Well a few weeks ago we were talking about going to your tower after the ball. The king told us we could have some time off once the celebrations were over, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, it slipped my mind for a while," He leaned back in the chair, eyes not meeting her own.

"Well," She faltered here, suddenly feeling very strange, "Are you still planning on going?" She fidgeted with the fabric of her pants.

"I had forgotten all about it but since I finally have some time off I suppose so," He murmured before descending into silence. This silence continued until Daine cleared her throat.

"Can I still come? I mean, that was the plan but I suppose if you'd rather go alone," She hesitated, feeling her eyes sting and looking down. Maybe she'd pushed this whole thing too far if he didn't even want to bring her home. She felt another stab when she realized that out of all the places she spent time at that that was the one she thought of as her home. If she couldn't go back---

"Of course you can," He said harshly and she looked up to find that he had stood up and was looking down at her. A pained look came over him when he saw her expression and he sighed, stroking a piece of hair out of her face. "It's your home Daine. You can always come home." She nodded and he sighed again, sitting in the chair whose arm Daine was perched on, "I know things have been weird," He started and Daine offered a small laugh.

"I suppose the whole just putting it behind us and acting like it never happened thing doesn't really work right away does it?" She muttered and he looked up at her again with those sad eyes that he usually hid from the world.

"No and I'm sorry. I should be able to handle this better. It's just," He paused, looking away from her, "I took advantage of you Daine. I know you don't think of it that way but I did. Whether both of us wanted it at some point during that night the fact is that you weren't in the right mind to make that kind of decision and that I should have been the one to do so. It's very hard for me to deal with the fact that I've done this to you."

"Is that why you were avoiding me all night?" She said in a small voice and he nodded.

"I'm sorry about that. I just don't know how to trust myself after what I did. It's going to take time before things will be back to normal. That said I was going about it in the wrong way, avoiding you isn't going to fix anything and to tell you the truth I wouldn't be able to keep it up. Despite everything that's happened your friendship is very important to me and I want you to know that no matter what happened between us that will never change. You can always come home Daine, you'll never be unwanted," He said solemnly and she felt her eyes stinging again. She leaned over and hugged him tightly and he returned the gesture with as much force.

"You've never called it my home too," She muttered wetly and he chuckled.

"Really? I've thought of it as ours for years," He shrugged as she pulled back.

"Well that's settled," She smiled, knowing her eyes were shining and he chuckled.

"You're so matter-of-fact magelet. Would you like to leave tomorrow morning? We might as well leave as soon as possible," She nodded and he gave her a smile, "We'll want to start out early so it won't be too hot. Meet at the stables at seven?" She nodded again. He stood and she followed suit before moving to the door. Before opening it she turned to him and spoke.

"I still don't think you took advantage of me," She spoke softly and he sighed.

"I know," His eyes were sad as he looked at her, "but that doesn't change what happened."

* * *

"Numair you are going to fall off of poor Spots and then nobody will help you up," Daine teased. They had just set out and it was obvious that Numair was regretting his decision to leave early. He was currently slumped over Spots' neck, as he had been for ten minutes, and was starting to slide into a very precarious position.

"Is the ground soft enough to sleep on?" The words were muffled by Spots' mane and Daine laughed, surprised at how awake she was at this time.

"For you I suppose so, though if we leave you here to sleep you will surely be robbed and stripped of all worldly possessions within the hour."

"I don't like wearing clothes when I sleep anyway," Numair pouted but sat up anyway, shifting in his saddle, "Why are you so chipper anyway? Over the years I've become quite fond of the disgruntled, taciturn and sarcastic morning you."

"Dunno, had a good sleep I suppose," She shrugged and practically felt him _roll _his eyes.

"Would you mind taking the longer way to the tower? It doesn't take much longer plus we gain a few nights in inns." He yawned and she shrugged.

"Sounds good, it's been a while since we've been on the road anyway. It's nice to be out," She said matter-of-factly and he nodded. They descended into a comfortable silence and for the most part stayed that way until they took a break for lunch, a simple one of bread and cheese. The afternoon was filled with light conversation and jokes and for the first time in a while Daine felt as though things were beginning to return to normal a bit. True, there was still a strain and sometimes there were awkward silences but it was still a huge improvement on how they had been interacting lately. She had opted to go back to her normal clothes for the ride; while the new ones may look good she had the feeling they would probably get very uncomfortable on a long ride. Not only that but after their conversation the day before she thought that perhaps she ought to pull back on her attempts. He was obviously having a hard time dealing with this and even if she didn't agree with the fact that he thought he took advantage of her, he did. The look in his eyes when he had been talking about it had almost killed her. She really didn't want to make his feelings of guilt any worse. For now she just wanted to get their friendship back to where it was and perhaps she would reinstate her plan later on. If a chance presented itself she would take it but for now she had decided she would just wait.

* * *

At nightfall they broke for camp and one thing that had stayed the same was the ease and efficiency in which they set up camp and handled their individual duties. Once she had tended to and fed the horses they sat down to eat; she was glad to see that Numair hadn't overcooked the noodles again.

"I'm impressed. You managed it without Kit here to keep an eye on you," She teased, though a note of wistfulness entered her voice. He chuckled though she knew he had felt the same emotion.  
"I wish she were here too. It's good for her to see the dragon lands though," He said simply and she nodded, putting her bowl down.

"I know; I just miss her. I want her to be home and," She paused, biting a nail. "And what if she doesn't want to come back?" He pulled her hand away from her mouth and made her look at him.

"Daine, this is her home and you're her _mother_. She'll want to come back, trust me. Nothing could keep that dragon from you."

"I suppose you're right," She said grinning, knowing it was true, "Just worries me sometimes. And you know, she'd come back for you too. Besides me you're definitely her favorite two-legger," He grinned, pleased, and she continued, "It's funny, when it's the three of us it's almost like---" She stopped, realizing what she had been about to say, feeling her face heat up, but he was already on the same page.

"Like a family, I know," He said softly. They sat like that for a moment, an indescribable feeling washing over her and making her smile. After a moment she grinned up at him.

"You owe me a dance you know," She said cheekily and he paused for a moment, startled, but shrugged.

"I suppose I do," He stood up and held out a hand, which she grasped. He pulled her up and to him, moving them away from the fire a few paces. She moved to stand closer to him as one hand went up around his neck, the other still firmly clasped in his, and his slid around her waist. They moved together for a while and Daine knew that they had long ago gotten closer than would be considered appropriate but couldn't bring herself to care. She leaned her head against his chest and felt him sigh. It was moments like this that made her think that he _must_ feel something. There was no way he couldn't feel what was between them, not the way he held her to him and rested his head against hers. Still though, that bit of doubt prevented her from saying anything, especially after yesterday. She heard him say something and snuggled closer into his chest, mumbling.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said that you'd think that this would be harder without music," He said softly, the hint of a chuckle in his voice.

"Well, we're just both incredibly talented people," She mumbled, "Besides, this is nice," She turned her head to nuzzle the chest hair that peeked over the top of his shirt and felt his grip tighten before he paused and backed away, looking down at her.

"It is but it's late, we should get some sleep," He brushed the hair out of her face and she nodded.

"I'll clean the dishes, you get to bed," She smiled up at him and he paused before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Goodnight Daine."

Numair pulled out his bedroll as Daine collected the dishes and headed towards the little creek that ran not twenty yards away. Once at the stream she took a moment to catch her breath, feeling herself smiling. The lust was one thing, the mad want and heat that she felt when she was with him, but it was this feeling that made her know it was real. Despite whatever had happened and whatever would at this moment she was happy and he was the reason. She made quick work of the dishes before turning back towards camp. She saw Numair quickly turn away and disappear to the camp. By the time she got back he was seemingly already asleep and her bedroll had been laid out for her.

* * *

Days later Daine leaned against a fence, feeling incredibly irritated. Her mood did not improve as Numair approached her, a glum look on his face.

"No, Numair you've got to be kidding me," She said, knowing she was whining, "We took the longer route so that we could have some nights in inns. Don't tell me there aren't any rooms in this town either? I'm getting really tired of camping right outside perfectly good towns. They don't have anything?"

"I'm sorry Daine, I forgot to take into account the local holidays. It seems that this area is in full festival mode," He sighed, obviously not very happy.

"There isn't _anything_?" She looked at him pleadingly and he hesitated before answering.

"They had one room but that's it."

"They have a room! That's fantastic!" Daine was suddenly feeling much better.

"Yes but only one and it only has one bed," He sighed and she frowned.

"So? It's a room, we've slept in close quarters before," She said matter-of-factly, realizing too late that that was all too true.

"Well," He stuttered, obviously uncomfortable, "That really wouldn't be appropriate, the people will talk."

"So tell them I'm your wife," She shrugged and he gave her an odd look. She sighed, "It's going to rain," she pointed to the quickly graying skies above them, "and besides it will be fine Numair; we'll just be sleeping." She looked at him with pleading eyes and after a moment he sighed and they headed inside, their mounts had already been taken to the stables.

"I believe my wife and I will be taking that room after all," Numair said to the innkeeper when they got inside and Daine felt a strange flutter in her stomach when he said _wife_. The innkeeper turned to them and gave them an appraising eye.

"Wife, eh? Very well. I'll have Rosalie show you up," He gestured towards a pretty maid who motioned them up a staircase. She could feel Numair bristling at the way the man had looked at her but quickly pushed him along.

* * *

Later that night Daine couldn't help the vague sense of excitement she felt at sharing a room with him. It had settled in as soon as the maid had left and they had been in the room alone, her eyes falling on the bed. She had promised herself that she would not try anything but the very setting alluded to all sorts of possibilities. There had been a brief scuffle earlier when Numair had declared that he would sleep on the floor while she took the bed in which she was finally victorious. It took her a while but she finally got him to agree that it would be harmless for them to both share the bed and that he would be a dolt if he slept on the hard floor. Following that they had gone down to the tavern on the first floor and stayed there for some hours. Though the conversation had been light she had gotten the sense that they had both been stalling a bit. Diversionary tactics aside they had finally returned to the room and she had opted to take the first bath. She was drying herself off, feeling incredibly refreshed, and wondering what to wear to bed. Despite her saying that she wouldn't try anything she _had_ brought a few articles from her shopping trip, some of which were rather skimpy and lacy sleeping shifts. She felt that that would just be mean of her however but she hardly wanted to wear one of her old worn out ones. She finally settled on one she had gotten on the trip that was not overtly sexual. It was made of simple white cotton with thin sleeves and it came to about mid-thigh or so. Perhaps it wasn't exactly appropriate but she was not going out there in something that a grandmother would wear. She pulled it on before closing her pack and heading out into the main room.

"Privy's free if you want to bathe," She said, running her fingers through her hair, she hadn't realized it had gotten so long. He looked up from the book he was reading and she could have sworn that she saw him blush before he looked away and put the book down. As he retreated into the bathroom Daine grabbed her brush and sat in front of a small mirror that had been provided, dragging the brush through her soaking curls. She had just finished when Numair came out of the bathroom, clad only in breeches.

"That was fast," She commented, shaking out her hair and he nodded, not looking directly at her.

"I'm a bit tired," He offered and she nodded.

"Me too, I wish I hadn't washed my hair though. It needed it but it'll be a fair mess tomorrow. I prefer bathing in the morning so it's not wet when I go to sleep," She frowned, running her fingers through it once more, and he came to stand behind her.

"I can dry it for you," He leaned down, and she met his eyes in the mirror. She looked at him skeptically.

"I've seen you try to put out a candle; I'd rather like to keep my hair if that's alright with you," She looked at him through narrowed eyes and he laughed.

"What little faith you have in me. I've worked out a little spell." When she still looked skeptical he sighed and motioned to his own head, "See? A full head of hair."

"Fine then but if I'm bald when we're done you'll have me to answer to."

"Fair enough," He chuckled before threading his hands into the hair at the top of her scalp. Small traces of black fire were visible as he began to slowly drag his hands through her hair, drying it as he went. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught his eyes in the mirror, gaze penetrating, and felt her body come alive. Her breath became shallow as she stared at him while he _slowly_, oh so slowly, moved his hands through her hair. He broke the gaze and turned his head away and she shivered as she felt his breath against her neck, knowing that his lips were only a few centimeters away. All too soon it was done and his hands fell to the back of her chair.

"Done," He whispered, voice hoarse and she nodded, stuttering.

"Thanks," There was a moment of silence before Daine felt the tension become unbearable; "I left some stuff in the privy." With that she got up and disappeared into said room, closing the door behind her.

She leaned back against the door, breathing hard. Her entire body was on fire. Every part begging for a relief that she knew wouldn't come, not from him anyway. She bit her lip, he was only a few feet, but really, for all intensive purposes she was alone. If she was quiet--- she heard a thump from the other room and started. Sighing she took a deep breath and splashed cold water from a basin onto her face. She just needed to take a couple moments and calm down; she would be fine. By the time she returned to the room Numair was already in bed, laying on his side. She noticed that his breeches were strewn over a chair and he must have seen her looking because he spoke, hesitant.

"I can wear them if you want," She shook her head.

"No, no, that's fine," She blew out the candle, a small trace of moonlight illuminating the room just enough to see a bit, and climbed into bed. There was an awkward moment of shuffling around, Numair seemed hesitant to let her get to close to him and was very purposefully facing the other way. She wondered if the moment earlier had had just as much of an effect on him as it had her. Soon she settled onto her side, away from him, and tried to drift into sleep. She remembered lying there for what seemed like ever and it must have been a while because Numair fell asleep quite a while before her. His calm and even breathing had been calming her and the last thing she remembered had been him wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her firmly up against him before falling to sleep.

She woke up to a hand running up along the length of her side and to a face nuzzling against her neck. Half asleep she could vaguely remember falling asleep with Numair and turned to face him, pressing herself more firmly against his body. He made a small sound and she ran her hands up his chest, her waking mind not quite processing yet, only _acting_. She whispered his name and brushed her lips along his jaw, her body quickly heating up as his hands became more explorative. His lips brushed against hers and she sighed, noticing that his eyes were beginning to flicker open. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that neither of them had quite woken up yet but at the moment it didn't matter. His hands ran down to tease her thighs and she gave a soft moan. Suddenly the kisses became less soft and lazed and more frenzied. There had been a brief moment, no more than a fraction of a second, where they had met each other's barely conscious and lust filled eyes, and then his lips came crashing against her own. Before she knew her hands were in his hair and he was leaning over her, her back against the mattress and her shift bunched around her waist. Hands and lips were everywhere, it was impossible to keep track but in such a good way. His gasps and moans matched her own and she pulled him closer, wrapping her legs around his waist as his hands slid up under her shift to tease her ribs. He ground his hips into hers and she moaned his name loudly, moving her own to meet his. She had moved her hands to his loincloth but suddenly his lips, and his hands, and his wonderful heat were gone. Confused, she blinked and looked up. He was kneeling over her on the bed with a look of horror on his face.

"Numair?" She asked, her voice thick with desire. He didn't say anything but with one swift movement jumped off the bed, pulled on his breeches, grabbed a shirt and left. Daine sat up to go after him but thought better of it and fell back onto the bed; the dizzying passion quickly being replaced with cold frustration. She knew Numair and whatever had gotten into him now; he needed a bit of time to himself to work things out before she talked to him. She didn't know how but somehow she managed to fall asleep again that night.

* * *

The next morning Daine woke up to find that Numair had already gotten his bags from the room. She knew that he wouldn't just leave her here but it still bothered her on principle. She would be very vexed if she found out he had used a spell to keep her asleep while he did it. After packing she finally tracked him down in the stables. The horses had already been saddled and as she loaded on her pack she glanced at him.

"Where'd you go?" She asked quietly, he wouldn't look at her.

"For a walk, then back here." He mounted Spots, "we should get going," with that he tapped Spots and they began to move away. He wouldn't look at her, wouldn't speak to her with anything more than a couple words and every time she pulled up next to him he would move away. The ride was like this the entire way. Spots offered to throw him for her, which usually would have amused her but not today. Neither did Cloud's cynical remarks which were usually so entertaining. She supposed she could just tell Spots to stop and then make Numair talk to her but knowing him that would get them nowhere. The best course of action was probably to wait until they were at the tower, which would be in only a few hours, and then work things out. It seemed that Numair, however, had other plans. When they reached the split that led respectively to the tower and to the Swoop he stopped Spots abruptly and turned to her.

"I think you should go to the Swoop," He said swiftly, not looking at her. She felt as though she had been winded and stared at him, open-mouthed.

"What? Why?" She said incredulously and he scoffed.

"You know why Daine, don't be naïve."

"What is that supposed to mean? And I most certainly do not know why," She hissed, anger rising quickly.

"Last night Daine, you can't trust me around you. I can't trust myself. It's better if we're not around each other." He was so full of self-loathing that she barely recognized the man in front of her.

"Numair, why are you punishing yourself like this?" She asked and opened her mouth to continue but was cut off.

"How can I not? Do you really think that I would be okay with taking advantage of someone half my age?" He was gesturing angrily now and she knew that things were getting out of control.

"I'm not half your age."

"Well I'm old enough to be your father."

"Only if you had an extremely sordid _child_hood," He was being ridiculous, if only he would stop and listen.

"Regardless, this isn't right," He took a deep breath, "You don't even comprehend what I've done to you. What I've taken. Please, go to the Swoop."

"What happened to me always being welcome at home?" She asked, teeth clenched and hands shaking. He sighed again, looking at the ground.

"Maybe it's time you find a new one." The words hit her like a physical blow and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Numair, please, just calm down. This isn't what you think."

"No, it's not what you think," He looked at her for the first time that day and she froze at the look in his eyes, "I remember that night. I remember the ball and I remember you. I remember heading back to your rooms. I remember so much and most of all I remember you telling me to wait, that we shouldn't. I remember you telling me you didn't want to. You knew what you wanted and I ignored that. I coerced you into my bed because I wanted you," She looked at him, confused. She remembered the whole night; she had never once said that she hadn't wanted to.

"Numair, that's not what--" He cut her off.

"Please, just stop Daine. I can't have you around knowing what I'm doing to you. This was all a mistake and it's one that just won't end. You," He faltered, looking away again, "You're a mistake," With that he turned Spots and ushered him into a gallop. Daine sat there, stunned. She wasn't even registering Cloud's words to her, frantic as they were becoming. She was a mistake? She felt her eyes sting and wetness touch her cheeks but clenched her jaw, refusing to cry. With one last look towards his retreating form she turned and told Cloud to head towards Pirate's Swoop.

* * *

**Review please :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Viola! Final chapter...AND..in a timely manner :) Thanks to AliMac once more for being my beta. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Daine sat on the rocks, letting her bare feet dip into the cool salty water. She had taken care of Cloud and left her at the stable, ignoring her pony's irritated comments, but she hadn't checked in anywhere else yet or even gotten a room. She had simply gone down to the beach and sat exactly where she was now, trying to wrap her mind around what had happened. She was hurt, angry, and confused and she didn't even know where to begin getting a handle on the situation. She knew he could get irrational but she had never seen him like this before, barring the time she had accidently killed herself anyway. That had been completely different though, this was—bad. She had no idea how to even begin fixing it, how could she make him see her side of things? He hadn't even been making sense; saying that he remembered and that she had said no. That certainly hadn't happened, she had been a more than willing participant, same as last night.

"I thought that was your dear pony terrorizing my hostlers," A voice came from behind her and she turned to see George climbing over the rocks to her. "I don't get a hello?" He teased, sitting down next to her. She looked down, picking at her nails.

"Sorry, I was going to come find you later," She mumbled as he stripped off his boots, slipping his feet into the water.

"Don't fret, I was just surprised. I thought you and Numair were heading to the tower first; I figured it would be a few days at least. Where is our mage anyway?" He looked around as though he half expected Numair to be hiding somewhere. She took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid it.

"He's at the tower," She said softly and George looked at her with furrowed brows. She sighed and looked down, "He didn't want me to come with him," She was glad her voice hadn't cracked.

"And why in Mithros' name would that be lass?" He said slowly, tentative concern evident in his voice. She was silent for a moment and he continued, "The great romance isn't going quite as it should?" She shot him a look and he chuckled, "Normally me and my champion of a wife _do_ like to keep in touch."

"Oh, right. That would make sense. What did she tell you?"

"Nothing much, just that things looked like they were finally starting between you at long last," He replied and she rolled her eyes.

"Was I the only one who didn't know?" She said, exasperated, and he laughed.

"Unfortunately I think so. Although I think Thayet may have pointed it out to his Majesty so if it hadn't been for that he may have been behind you," He shot her a look and smirked, "maybe."

"Perfect, you'd think that someone could have warned me," She grumbled and he chuckled.

"Well that would just take all the fun out of the surprise," He looked at her again before continuing, "Now as entertaining as all this banter is, something tells me that you've something fair serious on your mind?" She sighed. George would usually be far from her first choice when it came to talking of matters such as this but there wasn't anyone else. Besides, he did have more common sense than just about anyone she knew.

"Did Alanna say anything specific when she said that things were 'starting'?" Part of her really hoped that her friend had, that way she wouldn't have to explain everything. But he shook his head.

"No specifics, I had assumed that you two had just finally realized that there was something there," He shrugged and she blushed.

"That would have been a lot simpler," she sighed, "There was a big celebration at court that we had to go to and we both got pretty drunk and, well—" She motioned in the air with her hand vaguely, hoping he would get the point. He did, thankfully, and he looked at her with eyebrows raised. There was a moment of silence and Daine wondered if this was too personal of a conversation for them to handle.

"Well that's certainly a way to start that has a high chance of making things difficult," He said after a moment and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Tell me about it. We talked after, kind of, but it was so awkward and it didn't last long. After that we just kind of acted like it hadn't happened which, you know, didn't work at all," She covered her face with her hands and groaned.

"Did he tell you how he felt?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, the idea that it had been anything more than a drunken mistake didn't even occur to me until later. I had been so busy thinking about what had happened that it wasn't even until after I remembered what had happened that night that I even stopped to consider how I felt about him. That I—" She cut off, feeling her throat tighten. She felt a hand smooth her back.

"There's no shame in lovin' someone, lass. You say it took you a while to remember it? Does he?"

"He does now, he said he does anyway but what he was saying didn't match up with what I remember at all. That's what earlier today was about. He was saying that he had taken advantage of me, that I had said no that night. He said that I had said I didn't want to but that he coerced me or some such nonsense. I remember everything and he never took advantage of me," She looked at George pleadingly, wanting him to understand that Numair had never coerced her.

"Relax, I don't believe that he would even be capable of that. So it took him this long to say that to you? He waited until the two of you were almost home to just leave you on the road?" He seemed confused and she shook her head.

"Well no," she paused, deciding to edit it down, "we stopped at an inn and there was only one room but it was going to rain so we took it. Things were fine but, well, we ended up kissing," she blushed again, " and then he just, he stopped. He stopped and walked out of the room and stayed out the whole night. He wouldn't even talk to me today until he told me that I should come here instead. That's when he started saying that I couldn't trust him and that he remembered." She bit her lip, feeling her eyes sting again, "And that I was a mistake," she mumbled, looking down. She heard a sigh from George as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Listen, I know he loves you. Any blind fool can see that—" She cut him off there.

"How? I mean, I know he _wants_ me but what if that's all it is? If he loved me then why would he be having such a hard time with this? Why would he think that it's all so wrong?"

"Well, have _you_ told him how _you_ feel?" He said slowly and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking.

"Well, not explicitly but I mean, I made it fair obvious afterwards," She mumbled and he raised an eyebrow.

"And how exactly did you do that?" She blushed violently this time, suddenly feeling very foolish.

"You know, the new clothes and face paint and the flirting and innuendos. All that feminine stuff," She mumbled, wishing she could sink into the ground. He stared at her for a moment and she huffed, "It was partly your wife's idea!" He stared at her for another moment before bursting into laughter. She stared at him, confused, as he calmed down.

"I'm sorry, you followed Alanna's advice when it came to this. Has she _told _you the stories from when she was your age?"

"I, well," She stuttered, "I mean, she's older and knows more about these things. Besides, Onua and the Queen helped too!"

"Again, I grow skeptical about Onua's _feminine wiles_ though the Queen might know a bit more. _Maybe_." He smirked," Listen, I'm not even going to go into the absurdity of that advice and it's source but I do know one thing," He grasped her hands in his, "Numair fell in love with _you_, breeches and mud and animal fur included. In fact those are probably all part of the reasons _why_ he loves you. If there's someone who does know about all those court games it may just be him, to date it's been his type. He _knows_ that world and he's never loved someone from it. The fact is that he loves you for what and who you are; the last thing he would want is for you to change to try to impress him. You probably just confused him," He smirked and she sat there stunned. Thinking back she probably _had_ confused him. She had in no way been acting like her normal self and thinking back she was a little ashamed and definitely embarrassed at the game she had been trying to play. She took a deep breath before looking back at George.

"You're sure he loves me?"

"I would bet my ear collection on it," She laughed and he smirked, "The best thing you could have done, and still can do, is just go talk to the poor man lass. You two have been dancing around each other for months. It's time to just sit down and talk. I'm not saying that things will be perfect right away, the two of you may still have some hardships to overcome, but it's a start," She nodded, she should have just done this from the start.

"Odds bobs, I should have just talked to you from the start," She exclaimed, grabbing her boots and yanking them on.

"Well of course, I always have the best advice," He winked, making her laugh," Now get going, I will be very disappointed if you are still here in five minutes!" She laughed and gave him a hug before sprinting up the beach.

* * *

Just short of two hours later she galloped up to the tower and vaulted off Cloud, thanking her pony for making such good time, and running into the tower. The ride had given her enough time to think over the night and she was fairly sure she had figured out what had happened and why Numair thought she had said no. She ran through the tour, searching for him, and finally found him in his bedroom. He started when she burst in and his expression quickly turned to anger.

"Daine, what are you doing here? I thought I told you—"

"You're a dolt!" She cut him off and he looked at her, shocked.

"Excuse me?" He said slowly, an eyebrow raised.

"I said you're a dolt. You don't even remember the whole night do you?" She was gasping from running up the stairs and she knew she was getting dirt all over his carpet but she didn't care.

"I remember enough to know what happened. Besides, you don't remember anything; how would you know?" He huffed, turning from her.

"I remember everything Numair. I lied when you asked me because I wasn't ready to talk about it but I remember _everything_, and you're wrong about what happened."

"Daine, if you're just saying this to—" She cut him off again, exasperated.

"Tell me what you remember, as much as you can," she said firmly and he sighed, staring at her, before giving in and sitting on the end of his bed.

"I remember leaving the party together and that it, well, took us quite a while to make it through the halls. I remember getting to your rooms. Then I remember taking off your dress and we were heading towards your bed and you told me to wait, that we couldn't do this and that you didn't want to. I remember you saying those things very clearly Daine, and the next thing I remember is, well, doing exactly those things," He wasn't looking at her so when she started to laugh he glared at her sharply, "I fail to see how this is funny."

"I'm sorry, it isn't. It's just, have you stopped to think about what's wrong with all of that? You've forgotten some very important aspects."

"Like what? I think I've gotten a pretty clear picture of what I did to you."

"Numair, who's room did we wake up in?" She said, smiling and he paused before speaking slowly.

"Mine."

"Yes, yours. And you said you remember taking off my dress? I left your room in breeches and a shirt," She moved to kneel in front of him and he tried to flinch away when she grasped his hands in her own but she held on, "Numair, you're missing an awfully big part in there and it's just your luck that you only remember pieces of the conversation. I'm really starting to think that your subconscious is out to get you. When I told you to wait it was because I was saying '_we can't do this without my charm_' and that '_I didn't want to do this without being safe'_. Apparently I'm fair practical even at the most heated of times," She smirked and he looked at her, brows knit together. He stuttered for a moment before finding his words.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and he let out a breath.

"I had one that Alanna had given me in my drawer and I had to get it out. Some time while I was doing that you had some crisis of conscience and said that you should go. You left and that's how we ended up in your rooms. _I_ followed _yo_u. I came to _you_ and I can assure you that I made it very clear that I wanted you and trust me when I say that I was very sure."

"I don't remember any of that," He said softly and she squeezed his hands, "But why? I thought that you thought it was a mistake."

"I said that because I thought it's what you thought. We got ourselves into quite the vicious circle. I did it because I wanted you, and I still do. More than that because, I didn't know it at the time, but I love you," She squeezed his hands again and he looked at her sharply.

"You love me?" He sounded dumbstruck and she laughed at his expression.

"Very much. Dolt-ness and all."

"That's not a word," He muttered and she raised her eyebrows.

"Numair, I'm putting myself out here on the assumption that you feel something too and I'd really like for you to let me know," She was starting to get uncomfortable but he brought his hands up to her face and made her look into his eyes.

"I love you magelet, I think I always have," She smiled up at him and he returned the expression though it faltered, "I'm so much older than you Daine," He started but she cut him off, getting up and sitting on his lap with her arms around his neck.

"I'll have none of that. I can tell you right now that I don't care in the least. I want you, I'm sure of that, and you want me. I don't see the problem."

"What will people think Daine?" He looked up at her and she knew that this had pained him for a long time.

"If it's our friends you're worried about then you need not. They know, all of them, and it seems that they've been getting impatient with how long it's taken us," He raised his eyebrows at her and she nodded.

"_All_ of them?"

"Every single one, I was officially the last to know," She nodded again before continuing, "And as for everyone else I really don't care."

"I think I can live with that," He smiled, "There are some very serious talks we will have to have though."

"I know, but those can wait right? Can't we just be _us_ for right now? I'm fair exhausted," She sighed and he chuckled.

"As am I, being _just u_s sounds nice for a bit. Talks can wait until tomorrow."

"Good," she snuggled into him, content just to listen to his heart beating when he spoke.

"You know we really should have had this talk a long time ago," He muttered and she sighed.

"We really should have. It would have saved so much effort. That and I could have skipped all that makeup and all those horrible lines I tried."

"I'm sorry, what?" He looked down at her and she winced.

"Well, Alanna and Onua told me that I should try to seduce you. That's what all the clothes and the makeup and everything were for."

"Mithros, Minos and Shakith I thought I was imagining that."

"So you _noticed_?" She sat up, looking at him and he laughed.

"_Noticed_? Daine you drove me crazy. I thought I was just imagining that you were coming onto me," he shook his head, "I definitely noticed although I will say that I prefer it when you're just yourself. You don't need to go out of your way like that for me. Especially not to turn me on, you have that covered without even trying," He muttered and she grinned widely.

"Well that's good to know," she said wickedly and began to squirm in his lap before he stilled her with a look.

"Although, do I need to even comment on you taking that kind of advice from _Alanna_ and _Onua_?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, I've already been very much informed what a bad idea that was. By the way you should thank George when you see him."

"I'll make sure to do that," He said, mildly puzzled. She smiled down at him and he quirked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Well, after all you put me through don't you think you owe me a kiss?" She whispered, moving closer to him and he smirked.

"Me? With all that teasing I would say you owe me one," He teased and she giggled as he brought his lips up to meet hers. They had never kissed like this before. Not this soft and gentle, no rushing, that was so full of emotion that Daine couldn't even describe. It began to deepen and she realized she was still dressed for riding. As the kisses began to become more passionate she kicked off her boots and unclasped her cloak, letting it fall to the ground. Numair pulled away, looking at her.

"I don't want to rush this. I know we've already slept together but I still want us to take our time," He said seriously and she nodded, moving to her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sounds fair; besides, taking out time could be fun. Doesn't mean you have to stop kissing me though, you'll just have to do it _very slowly_," she whispered, bringing her lips to his once more. They ended up spread out on his bed, wrapped in one another, content to simply get lost in one-another's kisses. They only stopped when Daine happened to glance at his open travel pack.

"Are those my underwear?"

End

* * *

**Now the good news is that you got a nice ending..the bad is that this marks what will probably be a sizable absence from the fandom for me as I fully intend to devote my writing time to a fic I have shamefully ignored in another fandom for over a year :( I'll still post a few one-shots (including a prequel to this) but that's probably all you'll get for a while...no full-length fics. That being said that doesn't mean that I don't have any IDEAS for fics..I have several actually and will probably be working on them during my absence but not posting until my other one is done so that I can focus on it. Hope you enjoyed The Morning After! Review please!**


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